BHUBANESWAR : A seven-year-old girl, who was being brutally tortured by her father and step-mother for over a year, has been rescued from the house at Balipatna on the outskirts of the city. The little girl has been admitted to the Capital Hospital. Acting on the complaint lodged by the girl’s biological mother, Commissionerate police arrested the couple on Thursday.
The girl was not only beaten up and tortured but also chained to the verandah of the house by her father Bilal Khan and step mother. The injury-ridden and malnourished child was rescued by her biological mother and social workers from the house on Monday. On receiving information about barbarian atrocities on her, Childline director Benudhar Senapati and coordinator Rulina Patra visited the hospital and interacted with the victim, her mother and relatives on Wednesday.
Childline officials said Bilal had married thrice and his second wife was the mother of the victim. After their divorce, the girl’s mother shifted to Pipili. Bilal, however, had taken custody of the child forcibly.
The child was brutally assaulted everyday by the couple and chained to a verandah of their house.
They even used to put her fingers in hot water and derived pleasure out of her pain. The girl was only served rice and salt and on many nights she was forced to sleep without food. “We interacted with the girl and it was shocking to know the torture she had to endure for over a year while staying with her sadistic step-mother and father. The couple used to pin down the victim by standing on her abdomen and attacked her with different objects,” said Senapati giving out details.
“Basing on a complaint filed by the girl’s mother, a case has been registered under sections 323, 324, 342 and 34 of IPC and section 75 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act,” said an officer of Balipatna police station.